Not entirely, or even in a majority sense...1) Thank Obama, Reid, and Pelosi (Their agenda and unwillingness to compromise enough to bring 10-15% GOP participation was/is critical)2) Voters. Voters determined that they really didn't approve of 1) above and resolved to do something about it.

Beck and Limbaugh might be the lightning rods around which they collect and providers of information concerning the movement and the Administration/Regime.

I wondered when you would blog about this one. It is a surprisingly fair assesment of the state of political discourse. El Rushbo is a tremendous analyst of the spin coming out of both sides in DC and its new Government media. I hope he can stay well and keeps his aim straight like Gary Cooper in the Sargent York film.

Too bad the MSM won't show the Dems in Congress giving Presidente Calderone` a standing ovation after he got done telling us what a shitty country we are for having the audacity to insist that people from Mexico follow our immigration laws. Oh and that its our fault that his country is being overrun by drug lords.

And that was only because the people there were mad at Obama for insulting them during the PA primary campaign. This is a 2-1 Dem district that voted for Kerry in 2004, and would certainly have voted for Hillary over McCain in 2008 if she'd been the Dem nominee.

"No mention in the article of the special election in PA-12, in a district McCain won by 17 points, where the Republican got trounced by a Democrat. Hmmmph!"

What a strange reaction. It's a district with 20 point democrat advantage for this particular office. It's interesting that they went 5 points for the GOP for a totally different office, but for this office, the GOP made substantial gains over party representation.

How is PA-12 not an additional sign that the democrats are losing support? They did, after all, lose quite a bit of ground for this district's house race.

When the democrats have to point to a district where their election result was more than ten points worse than their actual registration advantage and historical result advantage, that's a sign of deep insecurity.

Alas, I'm disappointed this district kept electing Murtha and wants to continue to attempt to get as much pork as possible. That's not very patriotic. As many say, democrats are still good at appealing to social conservatives and promising goodies, so the GOP needs to be more effective in countering that.

But we can't win every district we have a massive disadvantage in. Mccain support is a pretty lame proxy for conservatism, as most realize.

Whatever Republican success there is this year, none of it will come from Michael Steele and the Assistant Democrats.

One point that needs to be mentioned in the PA-12, is that the spread was only 8 points. Considering the race was run similar to NY-23, yeah, they screwed up (Tip O'Neill's maxim, "Awll Pawlitics are local", is the key), but the Demo did run against The Zero, so analysis isn't as one-sided as garage would like.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Too bad the MSM won't show the Dems in Congress giving Presidente Calderone` a standing ovation after he got done telling us what a shitty country we are for having the audacity to insist that people from Mexico follow our immigration laws. Oh and that its our fault that his country is being overrun by drug lords.

That would probably guarantee a 70 seat turnover.

You may see it in a few ads this fall.

At one point, he said, "Wherever there is a Mexican, there is Mexico". Given the number of Americans who have retired to places like Taxco, it would be interesting to say, "Wherever there is an American, there is the United States", and see how that goes down in Old Mexico.

Considering we occupied about a quarter of the country in 1847, it might even be more fun to say we think we want it back now.

I was prepared to scoff because I tend to view Limbaugh as far less influential than most people think, given that, like Fox News, his audience is enormous only when compared to other similar media, but is a teacup in the ocean compared with the voting public.

But Chafets makes a couple of good points. The GOP was utterly keening and near-prostate after Obama won in 2008. The Washington party's first instinct was to protect themselves by going along with Obama, seeking slight mitigations at the edges. That's clearly what Obama expected too. He figured he'd present the GOP with a bill with 110 percent of what he wanted, the GOP would bargain him down to 90 percent, and both sides would claim victory.

That it didn't work out that way is probably due to Limbaugh's ability to use the GOP's feebleness to his own ends, scaring them into thinking they had to go along with him or face further damage. When someone is cowering in a crouch, they don't care whether the blows are coming from the left side or the right side, they just want it to stop. Limbaugh scared them more than Obama.

It turned out that, strategically, Limbaugh was right. The "party of no" was a good political strategy. That wasn't clear in early '08.

The other way in which Limbaugh probably helped the GOP was in admonishing the tea party not to become a third party. Since I don't measure the rise and fall of the sun by Limbaugh, that didn't seem like a particularly big deal, but I guess to the TPs, it was.

It'll be interesting to see what he does with the mortal threat posed by Rand Paul. I don't listen to him much; he's probably already addressed it. But Paul's comment on the Civil Rights movement move the TP from the mainstream to the far outer reaches. So it'll be interesting to see how they get out of this predicament.

Scott said...The ongoing rejection of statism by the American people is wonderful to behold.

Huh? Maybe in some primaries but I think it is early to make that declaration. The most obvious example of your thesis (I think) would be Rand Paul and he has begun walking away from some of his most anti-statist rhetoric. And I bet he will be walking away from some of his other anti-statist positions (e.g. Social Security, agriculture policy, the gold standard and the role of the military) or soften them seriously before November.

Wish I would have saved all the smack and predictions I've been hearing the past 6 months. Which Scott was it here predicting a 80 seat swing for Republicans?

You really think that's off the table? I sure don't. The polls for Obama are as bad as they've been. The PA-12 result shows that Dems can win a Democratic district if they put a lot of muscle and money into it, and if they run a candidate from the hard right. In other words, it shows nothing. They won't run that many conservative candidates, and with dozens of seats to defend, they won't be able to apply the same firepower to each one as can be done in a special election. Moreover, the Reeps are slow learners but they do eventually learn, and the PA-12 campaign showed them what not to do.

I am not predicting an 80-seat swing, or making any prediction at all. But a dramatic shift in power toward the GOP in Congress is still very much a possibility.

Actually, I think the NYT is more to credit for Republican resurgence. Once people stopped believing in what they, and the LA Times, the Washington Post, the Philly Inquirer, etc., were putting out there, contrasted with what Joe already pointed out way upthread, the rest was bound to follow.

And their failure can be boiled down to 2 words, Rush Limbaugh. Why anyone would listen to that douche bag is beyond me.That man has no love for America or the American people. And likening him to Gary Cooper, Sargent York and John Wayne is ridiculous. He is no patriot, he is an entertainer.

Mark my words, no great rebellion in November. Same old, same old.Vicki

It's important to keep expectations realistic. As much as I'd like to see it happen, Republicans are not going to gain 80 seats.

In 2006, when Bush had an approval rating in the 30s- with Katrina, Iraq, and Mark Foley scandal creating an environment that was absolutely toxic for the GOP- the Dems gained... 31 seats.

Gaining 40+ seats in a single cycle is very hard. Republicans could do very well this fall by historical standards, and still fall a few seats short of retaking the House- so it's not a good idea to be making that the bar for success, let alone raising the bar to essentially impossible levels with talk of 60, 70, or 80 seat gains.

2 words: over due. I'm greatly appreciative of the Tea Party effect of people finally seeing that the government is getting too big to sustain, but it may be too late to reverse it without great pain. It will be reversed no matter what, either by political will or necessity, but the dependency is so pervasive that even those wanting smaller government will have to make great sacrifices. We will see how serious we are about avoiding disaster or prolonged malaise, which are the only two alternatives to scaling back government. This is true worldwide, not just here.

I'm more than prepared to sacrifice much of what I get from government: my S.S., less cops, less teachers, less fireman, etc. That, of course, comes way after the nonessential government employees and their exorbitant benefits that that the majority paying for them cannot enjoy due to the burden of the public sector. Sorry Ann, but I'm sure you would still do just fine in my world anyway.

Rush was going after Obama during the inauguration. For a while there he seemed like the only person in the public sphere who wasn't cowering in the face of Obama's victory, who was thinking critically and not going along with the hype.

It's a two edged sword though. Imagine what people think when they look at what Rush does and then look at the behavior of Republican politicians. The sort of dissatisfaction they feel is why the Tea Party refuses to classify itself as Republican.

I'm still going with a pickup of 40 in the House, 9 in the Senate. I was thinking ten seats after Blumenthal was caught lying about his Vietnam Era service, but then Rand Paul opened his big, fat mouth and gave Democrats hope in Kentucky.

In the Senate I see Republicans returning all their incumbents; holding all their open seats except, now, possibly Kentucky; picking up Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania; plus picking up two or three out of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, and Wisconsin. I think that PA-12 showed the RNC that they can't have candidates just show up and say "I'm the Republican, gotta love me." Be interesting to see what happens to PA-12 in the fall rematch.

And I still think Joe Lieberman will love every second of being an Independent in the next Senate, with a 48 - 50 split (plus independents Lieberman and Sanders, who normally caucus with Democrats).

I wouldn't worry too much about Kentucky. Paul has a 25-point lead there. It will tighten, but Paul will have to completely melt down to lose to an Obamacare and amnesty-supporting liberal Dem in a red state this year.

Only GOP Senate seats I see as in real danger right now are OH (the most recent polling has Portman slightly behind) and possibly NC.

"And their failure can be boiled down to 2 words, Rush Limbaugh. Why anyone would listen to that douche bag is beyond me.That man has no love for America or the American people. And likening him to Gary Cooper, Sargent York and John Wayne is ridiculous. He is no patriot, he is an entertainer."

Funny how much weight Obama and you lefties give entertainers isn't it?

Sounds like you listen to him a lot. How often have you been listening to him?

Every news article has to proclaim the magic bullet. An original take on a situation.

Reality is small government conservatives were pretty unhappy with Bush for many things. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid just added fuel to the fire by ticking off the small government and social conservatives, and scaring the indapendents with their government power grab. So, the common theme is government as currently governed is better limited. When you don't agree with government you sure don't mind it being limited.

Rush is more small government conservative and so it makes sense for him to have the voice of the discontented.

It's unseemly that you're reading the paper closer than I am in this regard. Tilling the mediasphere's soil is Rush's job - that "entertainment" we keep hearing so much about - but what's your excuse? This is the same point I've been trying to get through to your "wife" and Glenn Reynolds: y'all spend more time keeping race alive as an issue than all the race hustlers and racists combined. I can go most days without encountering a single racial issue or situation, except when I'm hanging with y'all. Do you understand what that's like? I'm normal until I get around y'all - then I'm black. Is that what you're intending? It's over.

garage mahal says: Wish I would have saved all the smack and predictions I've been hearing the past 6 months. Which Scott was it here predicting a 80 seat swing for Republicans?

Nicely put. There's been no shortage of conservatives claiming on this blog and elsewhere that a big GOP wave is coming. If that were the case, things would have gone differently in last night's special election.

I'll give a marker tonight. The Democrats will lose 30 House seats and 4 Senate seats. In other words, just a slight bump-up against the standard mid-term losses of the President's party. Nothing major, and certainly no big national movement, despite the ravings from the peanut gallery seats.

"Nothing major, and certainly no big national movement, despite the ravings from the peanut gallery seats."

Even with a lowball figure like that, I'd say that's indicative of a major mood shift considering that just two years ago we were hearing how about the "death of the Republican Party" or permanent Democrat majorities.

I'd say Scott Brown alone pretty much made mincemeat out of these observations.

There's been no shortage of conservatives claiming on this blog and elsewhere that a big GOP wave is coming. If that were the case, things would have gone differently in last night's special election.

Well this conservative isn't claiming a "big GOP wave", but I caution our liberal friends to examine what really happened in the special election:

The Democrat who won - in a district where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 137,000 voters, 62% to 29% - won by running:● Pro-life● Pro-Gun● Anti-Cap and Trade● Anti-ObamaCare

In otherwords, he won running on an anti-Obama platform. In Democrat Pennsylvania. Are we feeling warm yet?

So - c'mon liberals - you just have to love winning that way. Let's see how that works for you in November in the 77 Republican leaning districts that have conservative Democrats - many of whom are already publicly mad at Obama and are already telling their constituents that they won't be burned (read Obamacare)by Pelosi-Reid-Obama again.

Are those voters really stupid enough to believe them? We shall see how stupid won't we?

This is also delicious because it shows how morally bankrupt our Democrat/liberal friends are. They:

will accept anyone calling himself/herself a Democrat as long as they win and keep the Congress in the D column - which shows a lack of real values they can stand up for - moral ambiguity and emptiness of character.

which again proves the Democrats to be the party of the ends justify the means, integrity and values be damned.

Chase: This is also delicious because it shows how morally bankrupt our Democrat/liberal friends are. They:

will accept anyone calling himself/herself a Democrat as long as they win and keep the Congress in the D column - which shows a lack of real values they can stand up for - moral ambiguity and emptiness of character.

1. The article didn't take comments2. the writer is also an "author" of a kiss-ass book.

Rush Limbaugh is a liar. The truth is only his truth not real truth. Anyone and I mean anyone who takes this fellow as either gospel or truth might as well go to the dentist and when he says open wide he/she replies "please hurt me".

"Rush Limbaugh is a liar. The truth is only his truth not real truth. Anyone and I mean anyone who takes this fellow as either gospel or truth might as well go to the dentist and when he says open wide he/she replies "please hurt me".

I'll ask like I did in the other thread:

So how often do you listen to him? I really want to know because I never do. When it comes to lying and Limbaugh, the only incident I know of is the MSM's blatant propagation of phony quotes attributed to the man in an attempt to smear him.

Didn't work out too well from what I recall.

So perhaps you'd like to share some of his lies? After you do, I'd like to share some by entire networks and other "legitimate news organizations". And they lie a lot too, so does this mean you have the same boycott of outlets like MSNBC, CBS, the NYT, etc?

Cause it's reeeeeeal easy to find their lies, and they pretend to be journalists. Something that I understand Limbaugh doesn't do.

The excuse list keeps growing! According to the liberal machine, the tea party has traction because:*They're rednecks! No? Hmm. Then because*They're racists! Can't get much traction there either? Then because*They're wacko right wing militia types! Wait....not working. Then, because*They're puppets of Rush!

Getting pretty desperate. Might even have to check their own unpopular policies before long.

The Tea Parties movement are all middle class Americans that want some basic truths to be told by their political representatives. That will be some hard medicine to take since the near death country has been warehoused in ICU and its voters kept outside in a waiting room being told by the Politician/Doctors that the patient on life support is fine and getting better everday. These Tea Partiers have seen thru the lies told them by everybody in DC who were just drawing huge fees for keeping the comatose patient from flat-lining for a few more years. These useless liars in DC, from both Parties, are now being fired and replaced with a Doctor who wants to save what is left of our dying Country. But the last nail in our coffin would be a charlatan quack like like Rand Paul taking over as lead Doctor.

GMay...there isn't time nor space to indulge you. Look around the internet. There are zillions of quotes, sites, tubes..you name it...all listing Rush's lies.

I listen on occasion to find out what talking points will be featured on the likes of Glenn Back, Hannity, Savage and the felony guys who abound...so I don't have to listen to them.

It is unpleasant to find a brainswashed fool on here but I do wish you well and hopefully you don't pass on your illness to others. I suspect that there are others like you around...all trees, no forest (or in Bush terms..all hat and no horse) and it is sad. Problem is you breed.